^f      I-'  l-fl*  Duke   University   Libraries 

^^^    -^-'-^  Resolutions  of 

Cc^njf  Conf  Pam  #241 


-pg-'j^  DTTini3fl  + 


#^// 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  Jan.    19,    1865.— Laid  on 
the  table,  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 


RESOLTJTIOISrS 

Of  the  State  of  Texas,  concerning  peace,  reconstruction,  and 
independence. 

Whereas,  amOBg  the  political  parties  of  the  United  States  the 
question  of  a  re-union  of  those  States  with  those  of  the  Confede- 
racy is  being  agitated,  and  in  order  to  promote  such  re-union  it  is 
nrggd  thot  delegates  be  chosen  from  each  of  the  States  in  the  Con- 
federacy and  in  the  Union,  to  meet  in  Convention  to  reform  the 
Constitution  of,  the  United  States,  which  proposition  is  coupled 
with  the  quasi  pledge,  that  such  amendment  shall  be  made  to  the 
ConstUution  as  will  forever  guarantee  the  institution  of  African 
slavery  in  the  States  in  this  Confederacy;  and,  Whereas,  it  is  possi- 
ble that  the  political  party  in  the  United  States  advocating  that 
proposition  may  prevail  at  the  approaching  election  in  choosing  the 
Executive  of  that  Government,  and  that  consequently  the  forego- 
ing proposition  may  he  attempted  to  be  made  to  the  States  of  the 
Confederacy ;  JVow,  we  of  the  State  of  Texas,  believing  that  it  is 
proper  to  meet  such  proposition  in  advance,  have  resolved  as 
follows : 

Resolution  1st.  Be  it  Resolved  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of 
Texas,  That  neitlier  the  above  proposition  nor  any  other  can  be 
made  to  the  people  of  this  State,  by  the  United  States  or  any  other 
foreign  people,  the  government  of  tlie  Confederate  States  being 
the  only  organ  of  the  States  in  the  Confederacy,  for  the  transac- 
tion of  business  with  foreign  nations,  and  such  proposition,  if  made 
at  all,  must  be  made  to  the  government  of  the  Confederate  States, 
and,  if  made  to  the  government  of  this  State,  will  not  be  enter- 
tained. 

Resolution  2d.  That  we  recognize  in  that  proposition  no  good 
faith,  but  merely  an  insidious  policy,  to  "  divide  and  conquer;"  a 
policy  through  which  it  is  hoped  to  detach  some  of  the  States  from 
the  Confederacy,  thereby  to  weaken  and  demoralize  the  rest  To 
accomplish  this  an  appeal  is  made  to  our  love  of  property,  which  as 
it  is  the  all  prevailing  motive  to  the  actions  of  the  people  of  the 
North,  they  supposed  would  control  our  conduct. 

Resolution  3d.  That  it  will  be  well  for  the  people  of  the  North 
to  understand,  even  at  this  late  day,  that  the  Southern  States  did 
not  secede  from  the  Union  upon  any  question  sucli  as  the  mere  pre- 
servation of  the  slave  property  of  their  citizens.  But,  that  being 
free  and  sovereign  States,  they  were  resolved  to  preserve  their 
freedom  and  their  sovereignty.     They  were  free   to  govern  them- 


2       •       . 

selves  as  they,  and  not  othcr.s,  saw  fit.  Tliey  were  free  to 
change  their  G;®vcrnn)cnt,  to  erect  a  new  one,  and  to  make  what- 
ever alliances  they  sliould  choose.  And  after  nearly  four  years  of 
arduous  war,  these  States  are  still  unwavering  in  their  resolution 
to  preserve  their  freedom  and  their  sovereignty,  without  which  all 
else  is  valueless. 

Rfsolution  4th.  That  could  the  present  war  and  all  its  horrors 
lie  blotted  out  of  our  memories,  our  past  experience  while  in  the 
Union  would  warn  us  from  any  re-union  with  the  people  of  the 
North.  A  written  Constitution  adopted  by  our  ancestors  and  theirs, 
which  contained  plainly  worded  euarantees  of  the  rights  of  all  was 
by  them  and  their  sworn  Representatives,  deliberately  and  persis- 
tently violated  to  cur  injury  ;  and  finally  after  years  of  discussion 
when  tlie  question  was  undcrstandingly  before  the  people  at  lai-ge, 
they  elected  a  Chief  Magistrate  with  the  purpose  that  he  should 
dcHtroy  our  liberties  in  disregard  of  the  Constitution  wliicli  he  had 
sworn  to  support;  thus  exhiiiiting  an  instance  of  radical  and  wide- 
spread national  depravity,  to  the  honor  of  human  natare,  never  ex- 
hibited in  tlie  world  before. 

Resnlution  5th.  But  we  could  not  if  we  would,  banish  from  our 
memory  the  iniiumanitics  of  this  war.  Our  enemies  have  repudia- 
ted every  principle  of  civilized  warfare.  They  have  withdra\vn 
their  felons  from  Jail?  and  Penitentiaries,  have  recruited  from  the 
scum  of  Euro{»o,  aad  armed  our  own  slaves,  in  order  to  procure  an 
army suHiciently  atrocious  for  their  purpose;  and  this  army  has 
been  launched  upon  us  willrtlie  declared  object  of  our  extermina- 
tion. Poisoned  weapons  have  been  manufactured  and  used.  Ex- 
change of  prisoners  has  been  refused  until  the  success  of  our  armies 
extorted  a  cartel,  and  the  terms  of  this  have  been  violated  by  them 
whenever  the  varying  fortune  of  the  field  made  it  api)arcntly  ad- 
vantageous to  do  so.  Our  countrymen  when  captured  have  been 
removed  to  rigorous  climes,  and  subjected  to  every  hardship,  that 
thus  they  might  ))c  destroyed.  Non-combatants  have  l)eeu  murder- 
ed. Indiscriminate  onslaught  has  been  made  upon  totteiing  age 
and  tender  youtli.  Our  chaste  and  defenceless  vromcn  have  been 
submitted  to  outrage  worse  than  death.  Peaceful  villages  have  been 
bombarded,  and  lijqipy  homes  plundered  and  burnt.  Whole  popu- 
lations have  boon  i-emoved  and  bondaged  to  Nortliern  masfcrs. 
Desolation  has  marched  with  their  armies.  Religious  services  have 
been  prohibited  ;  ministei's  of  the  gospel  of  peace  have  been  incar- 
cerated and  silenced,  and  sacriligious  hands  have  been  laid  upon 
our  sacred  altai-s.  Eying  to  themselves,  and  pretending  to  the  rest 
of  the  world  that  tliey  are  righting  the  l)attle  of  freedom  for  four 
millions  of  happy  and  contented  negroes,  they  are  attempting  the 
enslavement  of  eight  millions  of  freenaen.  With  devilish  mock- 
ery of  philanthropy,  they  have  deluded  and  dragged  these  negroes 
from  their  comfortable  homes  to  use  them  as  screens  from  our 
weapons  in  the  day  of  battle,  and  they  have  sent  them  by  thousands 
to  painful  death  by  neglect,  exposure  and  starvation     Words  can 


not  express  the  inaliijiiity  in  their  hearts  or  tlie  atrocity  of  their 
deeds,  exceeding  as  tliey  do  all  tliat  was  ever  conceived  by  men 
from  tke  Scythian  down  to  the  Comanche.  Nor  has  this  been  the 
conduct  of  an  unbridled  soldierly  merely.  Those  offieersof  their 
army  who  have  surpassed  the  rest  of  the  infamous,  in  infamy,  have 
been  rewarded  with  promotion  by  their  Government.  Nor  has 
their  Government  been  alone  in  identifyinir  itself  with  these  crimes. 
The  people  of  Ihc  North  have  never  failed,  when  the  opportunity 
was  presented,  to  render  ovations  to  the  most  transcendent  among 
the  criminals,  while  their  press  has  been  constant  in  its  laudation 
and  their  orators  and  preachers  have  cried  out  "  well  done"  Army, 
government,  and  people,  have  united  to  make  the  name  of  Yankee, 
suggestive  as  it  was  before  of  fraud,  now  the  synonym  of  barbarism 
and  baseness. 

Resolution  6th.  Ry  the  Just  pride  of  the  manhood  and  the  virtue 
which  we  claim  as  individuals  and  ns  a  people;  by  the  divine  com- 
mand which  warns  us  not  to  walk  in  the  way  with  the  wicked  ;  by 
the  memory  of  our  murdered  dead  ;  by  the  ?ight  of  the  b'^reaved 
mothers,  widows,  sisters,  daughters  and  orphans  in  our  land ;  by 
the  heart  brokencess  of  trampled  virtue;  and  by  our  desolated 
hearths,  we  are  forbidden  to  admit  a  thouglit  of  further  association 
with  the  peo])le  of  the  North.  <^ur  hcnvc  soldiers,  the  living,  and 
the  martyred  dead.  forl)id  it;  and  our  trust,  in  God  forbids  it. 

Resolution  7th.  We  declare  tiiat  we  are  earnestly  desirous  of 
peace,  but  we  say  no  less  distinctly  that  it  must  be  coupled  with 
our  independence.  And  if  the  ])eople  of  the  United  States  be 
really  dis{»oscd  to  lorminate  the  war,  they  will  best  prove  that  dis- 
position by  making  their  proposition  to  the  Government  of  the  Con- 
federate States,  which  alone  cau  enteitain  it. 

Resolution  Sth.  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted 
to  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  to  each  of  our  Senators 
and  Representatives  in  Congress,  and  to  tlie  (Tovornorof  oacli  State 
in  the  Confederacy. 

Approved,  November  12.  18G4. 

Statb  of  Tkxas, 

Department  of  State. 
I,  Robert  J.  Town,  s,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  State  of  Texas, 
do  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a  true  and  correct  copy  of 
the  original,  now  on  file  in  my  Department.  In  testimony  whereof, 
I  have  hereunto  signed  my  name  and  caused  the  Seal  of  my  De- 
partment to  be  affixed,  at  Austin,  this  I5th  day  of  November,  A.  D., 
1864. 

R   J.  TOWNES. 


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